Friendly and low-key, the Essex Fox Hounds Masters' Chase offered young people, amateurs and a professional or two a chance to try racing -- from leadline and stick horses to galloping over real jumps -- against a backdrop of gorgeous fall foliage at Somerset County's Natirar.

The park in Peapack hosted tailgaters, hunt members and some who wandered over from the public parking lot to watch on Sunday.

The event is the hunt's biggest annual fundraiser. In its third year, it drew a host of entries from as far away as Maryland and Virginia.

Karen Murphy, who serves as joint master of Peapack-based Essex with Jazz Merton, said word of mouth is attracting people, along with banners strategically placed around the Somerset Hills over the last few weeks.

The races were held with appropriate music playing in the background, including the accompaniment from the racing scene in "The Quiet Man" and the William Tell Overture, better known to many as the theme from "The Lone Ranger" TV show.

World Equestrian Games four-in-hand combined driving multi-medalist Tucker Johnson came over from his family's farm in Oldwick with his coach pulled by a team of handsome horses, drawing the curious to take a look up close and adding another dimension to the day.

Tucker Johnson's four-in-hand drew a crowd when he made an appearance at the Masters' Chase.Nancy Jaffer|For The Star-Ledger

The Foxhunter Relay Race, in which four riders each had to gallop their stretch of turf and then pass a baton on to their teammates, drew some competitors in racing silks and others in casual hunting attire. The win went to Murphy, Merton, Rosalie Biedron and the Essex huntsman, Bart Poole.

Karen Murphy hands off the baton to Bart Poole in the Foxhunter Relay Race.Lawrence J.Nagy|For The Star-Ledger

All kinds of horses participated, including thoroughbred ex-race horses. But perhaps the most unusual was Byway Ballerina, an oddly-spotted gray mare owned by eventer Riannon Rasmussen, 22, who runs Byway Farm in Flemington.

A pony who stands 14.2 hands, Ballerina had been used by the Amish for breeding with donkeys to produce mules, according to Rasmussen. She rescued Ballerina for $500 and events the 7-year-old. The plucky mare showed good speed by winning the Senior Field Master Race.

In that competition, the riders followed Murphy over fences before being turned loose at the end and flying to the finish line.

Another Murphy, Abby (no relation to Karen) came with a group from U.S. Pony Racing to win the Pony Field Master Race on Kiss My Sass, a 5-year-old 12-hand paint mare.

The Field Master Race involves horses following a leader over fences until the leader peels off near the end and the participants race to the finish line.Nancy Jaffer|For The Star-Ledger

.
Regina Welsh, a licensed professional trainer who runs the U.S. Pony Racing Association, brought Murphy and three other riders and ponies up from Maryland

"Pony racing's thriving," said Welsh, who puts on the Shetland races that are so popular at the Central Park show and the Washington International.

"It's great for boys who don't want to go around the ring and make sure their heels are down and they're on the right diagonal. It's something the fathers love, because they can cheer really loudly. When your daughter's doing a dressage test, you can't go, 'Go on, kiddo.' The Dads get into it."

The organization's circuit includes races up and down the East Coast, but this was the only pony racing opportunity in New Jersey. Welsh works with young people up to the age of 16 through the National Steeplechase Foundation, so her mission involves more than ponies.

The fact that the Essex event is more casual than many of the races make it "a great building block for what we're trying to do in the big picture," said Welsh, who also worked for a point-to-point association whose mission has been combined with that of the pony racing group.

The concept involves "Trying to get something the hunt members could compete in that wasn't about form and style," said Welsh.

"If you got to that line first, you won. It didn't have to be pretty."